Seminar "Palestine's Future: three voices, one struggle. A dialogue on Human Rights and Hope", University of Padova, 22nd February, 2025

Programme 

9.30 am
Introduction
By the students of Advocacy Hub - Students' Voices at the Human Rights Centre

Speakers:

Sahar Francis, lawyer, from 2006 she is director of "Adameer", the  association for Adameer prisoners' human rights, located in Ramallah, a Palestinian ONG that provides support and legal advocacy for Palestinian political prisoners. 

Rev. Munther Isaac, Palestinian theologian, president of Bethlehem Bible College, author of sermon "Christ Under the Rubble", cited at the International Court of Justice. 

Rifat Kassis, long-standing nonviolent activist in the Palestinian nonviolent fight, he is one of the co-authors of the document Kairos Palestine and the coordinator of the Global Kairos for Justice coalition.

The event will be held in English. 

It is possible to participate in person at the Human Rights Centre or online via the Zoom platform, upon registration at the following link: https://forms.gle/79KWNVpcekcRXqRe9 

The seminar is promoted by: Advocacy Hub - Students' Voices at the Human Rights Centre; Human Rights Center “Antonio Papisca” of the University of Padova, UNESCO Chair “Human Rights, Democracy and Peace”, University of Padova; Arqus; Student Engagement Team - SET; Church of Padova; Municipality of Padova; Uniti per la Pace.

At 6 pm, a prayer vigil for "peace operators" will be held, with testimonies from the delegates of Kairos Palestine, at the S. Teresa Church, Guizza district, Padova. 

The events are organized as part of the Visit to Italy by a delegation of the Kairos Palestine movement, which in February 2025 will travel to various Italian cities (Naples, February 18 - Rome, February 19 - Florence, February 20 - Bologna, February 21 - Padua, February 22).

Kairos Palestine is the largest Palestinian Christian nonviolent movement. It is based on the document Kairos Palestine: A Moment of Truth launched in 2009, when many Palestinians felt they had reached a dead end. It was written by a group of lay people, church leaders from various denominations, and Christians who for the first time spoke with one voice about the Palestinian struggle. 

The document affirms that Palestinian Christians are an integral part of the Palestinian nation, supports the end of Israeli occupation, and calls for a just peace. The documents have also been translated into 22 languages and are available in Italian. Although it has received criticism from some churches, the document has been a source of revelation for many people engaged in the nonviolent struggle for Palestinian rights and has influenced the birth of the international movement called the Global Kairos for Justice.

The delegates visiting Italy:

Rev. Munther Isaac
Palestinian Christian pastor and theologian. Dean of Bethlehem Bible College, he directs the Christ at the Checkpoint conference series. During the Gaza genocide, he attracted international attention for his sermon "Christ Under the Rubble," heard by tens of millions of people and later cited in South Africa's case against Israel at the International Court of Justice. Author of numerous books and articles focused on the Palestinian context. He earned a PhD from the Oxford Centre for Mission Studies.

Rifat Kassis
Long-time activist in the Palestinian nonviolent struggle, he is one of the co-authors of the Kairos Palestine document and the coordinator of the Global Kairos for Justice coalition. He founded the Palestinian section of Defense for Children International (of which he was elected president) and the YMCA/YWCA Olive Tree Campaign. He has also worked in Central Asia representing several ecumenical donor agencies and has directed the WCC/EAPPI program as well as the Lutheran World Federation in Jordan.

Sahar Francis

Lawyer, since 2006 she has been directing the Addameer Prisoner Support and Human Rights Association based in Ramallah, a Palestinian NGO that provides support and legal advocacy for Palestinian political prisoners. She joined the association in 1998, first as a human rights lawyer, then as head of the Legal Unit.